These showings are part of a 70mm Film Series that the theater has been holding since October of 2007. They started out with Top Gun, followed by Ghostbusters, and Titanic, and we just missed the last showing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which ended on Tuesday.

If you have never seen a movie projected in 70mm before, you owe it to yourself to do so! I consider myself very fortunate to have seen Far and Away, Gone with the Wind, and Ben-Hur in 70mm, and the experience is something that cannot be described! Even though Gone with the Wind was a blow-up from 35mm, it had the intermission, and the size of the screen and the ambience at the Paradise Theater here in Milwaukee years ago made it a very memorable experience.

The showing of Far and Away in 1992 was the first movie I had ever been to where the audience applauded after it was over. Regardless of how you feel about the movie, the experience was one that I will never forget, and just thinking back on these experiences makes me long for those experiences to be possible again.

As for ''Lawrence,'' after its glorious re-release in 70mm in 1989, it has returned again to video, where it crouches inside its box like a tall man in a low room. You can view it on video and get an idea of its story and a hint of its majesty, but to get the feeling of Lean's masterpiece you need to somehow, somewhere, see it in 70mm on a big screen. This experience is on the short list of things that must be done during the lifetime of every lover of film.

If you are able, please consider seeing these movies on the big screen. These experiences are cinema at their greatest, and opportunities like this should not be passed over.

Reader Comments

No comments found. Be the first and let us know what you think!

Add Your Comments

Please login

Commenting on Journal Articles is available only to our readers who have customized this site, which makes it easier for you to complete the form and for us to contact you with any questions or concerns about your comments.